Improvement in water-meters



i the flexible tube dimitri CStates @anni (dimite (,)THNIEL GLMORE, OF RAYNHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters Patent No. 108,344, dated October 18, 1870.

IMPRQVEMENT IN WATER-METERS.

The Schedule referred to vin these Letter s Patent and making part of the same..

To all whom it may conce-rn.:

Be it known that I, OTHNIEL GILMORE, of Rayn-v ham, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, havefinvented Improvements in Tater-Meters and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in .connection with the drawing which accompanies and forms part of this specification, is a description of my invention sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

This invention relates to improvements in the detail of construction and arrangement of parts of water-meters, so made as` to embody inventions patented by me inthe United States, under the numbers @87,837 and 98,686, and dates of -March 16, 1869,

and January 11, 1870.

Said improvements consisting- First, in so combining and arranging a fiexible pipe or hose within the meter that it rests upon a spiral support, against which it is pressed by a roll or rolls as it or they traverse over the pipe.

Second, in the manner in which the parts forming the iiexible tube are united, so as to secure both strengthand tightness at the joints; and

rEhird, in the detail of construction by which the indicating mechanism can be varied to correspond with changes in the capacity of the exible tube,

` caused by the shrinking or stretching of its material.

In the drawing- Figure l represents in cross-vertical central section a meter embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a plan of the same, with one-half of the case removed to exhibit the interior mechanism.

Figure 3 shows a portion of the flexible tube, illustrating the arrangement of the fastenings employed to unitethe parts of which the tube is made.

Figure 4 shows in plan my improvement in the indieating mechanism.

Figures 3 and 4 are dra-wn upon a scalelarger than iigs. 1 and 2.

' In this invention, as in those described in the aforesaid patent, I make use of a flexible tube so arranged las Vto receive water under pressure and to discharge it under pressure into a closed case, to which thedelivery-pipe is attached.

The case is marked a, having an inlet at l, to which c is attached, there being in the case at d an outlet from which the service-pipe leads to the various draw-oh' cocks or faucets.

Within the case is arranged a she-lf e, for the tube 'c to rest upon, and against which it is compressed as the roll or rolls in the meter traverse over it.

In the drawing the shelf c is shown as of that form of spiral which resembles a portion of a screw-thread to suit the arrangement of the roll, which is shown as having its axis nearly at right angles. to the airis of the case a.

But it will be obvious that if the roll was arranged, as in my aforesaid patents, then the form of spiral for the tube-shelf or rest would be of the kind found in common clock springs.

On a stud, f, fixed centrally with the axis of the case a., is a frame, g, arranged so that it can turn freely on said stud.

To this frame is pivoted an arm, h, to the outer end of which is pivoted a frame, if, which carries a roll, j.

The spring le is so arranged that it operates to press roll j toward shelf e, at all times, thus bringing into contact the opposite sides of the interior of the tube c, so that it will be obvious that it" the meter is connected atV b with a head of fluid, and at d with a discharge-opening, the fluid under pressure will till the tube c, and will drive roll j over the tube in advance of the incoming current, and up the curved incline of the spiral from near the inlet b to where the tube c terminates with an open end, where the roll j will drop upon the inlct-end of the tube, and will continue its motion so long as by reason of draught-openings from the case a iinid flows into it through the tube c.

To the frame g is xed a pin, l, which, as it revolves, turns a crank, my, xed to a shaft which passes through one side of case a at its center, for the purpose of actuating lthe indicating clockwork.

On said shaft are clamped by a nut two segments, n n, of gears which may be adjusted relatively to each other, so as to act on a pinion, (which has its teeth about twice the length of the teeth on'each segment,) either as au entire gear or as a'segment, the size oi"4 which may be varied.

It is not, however, necessary that the segments or the pinion should be provided with teeth, as mere frictional contact of smooth surfaces will suceto drive the light train needed to give the indication of the quantity' of fluid which passes meter.

The pinion mentioned is marked o, and is hung in a pirated frame, p', which is kept pressed toward the segments by a spring, there being a stop so fixed as to prevent excessive pressure of the pinion against the segments.

rlhe shaft of pinion o may be connected in any well-known manner with any well-known indicating mechanism, protected by a locked or sealed casing from improper interference.

lf on trial it is found that the indicating mechanism indicates a greater iiow through the meter than corresponds with the fact, then the pieces a a are to through the vshould be of leather, I

be so adjusted as to diminish the length of their operative circumference, v Y

In making the iiexible tube @which preferably preferably stitches, at each edge.

upon which I depend for strength, I they strain comes, are spaced wide apart, so that the smallest possible amount of the leather is cutaway to receive the fastenings. The outer rows I set very closely together, which insures tightness of the tube.

I clairn- 1. In a meter iu which a flexible tube is used, and over which tube .fluid pressure drives a roll or rolls, the combination of such tube and roll or rolls, with a spiral rest, which supports the tube and receives the roll or rolls, substantially as de- The inner rows and upon which scribed.

2. In a meter in which the arrangement of the flexible tube is substantially that shown in the dra-wconical roll or rolls with two rows, innermost to closely age.

give spaced'and .placed outermost, to prevent leakoTHNlEL GILMORE. Witnesses J. B. CROSBY, FRANCIS GoULD.

their bearings in a frame, 

